A great game of golf is always easier to appreciate and enjoy with full control over the swing and drive of the club, some would argue that it is actually better to not have control, just go with the flow but how, and where is that flow? to achieve fulfilment from a few fancy strokes. This is a quick guide to a super swing and a satisfying session of the sport, golf. One interesting yet highly undervalued recommendation is to remember that golf travel insurance saves money. Golf sets cost between seven thousand pounds for a limited edition iron set, to around fifty pounds to a basic starter range; with the insurance costing a lot less, it is common sense to ensure that the tools of the trade are protected.

Now the clubs are covered, what is the best way to make use of them?

Swing Improvers

Imitation is the key to a lot of achievements, including golf greatness. The best of the best have all imitated their role models to learn the keys of turning on a great game. Whether it be Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, or NickFaldo, they’ve all spent years of time studying others to manifest the technique behind a truly great swing.

Besides observing others, making the effort to check yourself (before you wreck yourself) is the most educational and useful of all. If possible, record going for the long drive with a mobile phone.

It goes without saying that practice makes perfection. Whether on the green, the rug, or in the bath: any type of physical and mental preparation will assist the posture and mentality of hitting the ball.

Be legit, and quit: only temporarily, until the head is back into the game. Frustration breeds disarray so pushing the putting will only prove an obstruction.

Swing Impairers

Be very careful about choosing role models. If the person copied is making a cock up of their course: that is what will be influenced. If an associate is a bad golfer, be selective about who the game is played with, or at least, what the attention is focused on. Married partners, or close friends have been known to unknowingly copy each other’s style. Choosing to isolate from bad influence is especially important for attitude, which is the key to any sport or endeavour.

The fool looks cool on the green, and the designer sunglasses may even provide the service of solar protection but they tend to distort the accuracy of distance; on the course the sunglasses stay in the case, for golfers who care more about their craft than looking daft.

A little golf course courtesy goes a long way, and as much as an individual has grown in excitement for the game, or an obvious basic action would improve another golfer’s technical ability, or it might even seem like the opportune time for a colleague counselling caveat: bottom line is don’t offer advice unless it is asked, or even more plainly: live and let live. A common, yet often broken general recommendation of golf is to leave out any voluntary verification’s or recommendations, unless your valued opinion is asked. This type of easy aid is occasionally deemed as impolite and arrogance.

The Swinging Six

Of all the instructions in the universe regarding golf the holy six will free anyone to reign in redemption. These super six will be focused deeper in the next article but for now they will get a small mention:

1) Mind the Mental: The mental is life: what focused on becomes reality, so when it comes to golf, the right attitude will create fortitude.

2) Position the Posture: The body affects the whole physiology: besides supporting the muscles that are most effective for movement, the mind responds with the body according to how much ease or tension it manages – all of this synchronises to a successful swing.

3) Pivot for Punch: the swing is formed from a connection of elements including arms, legs, and a torso: the synergy of these elements determines the final outcome.

4) At Arms: What are the arms doing? Pre, during, and post swing all influence the synchronisation that leads up to the put.

5) Get to Grips with it: How the tool is held determines how the tool can be used. Although they are both used in sport to propel balls into holes, holding a snooker cue is very different from griping a golf club.

6) Arrangement: The open green, the golfer, the golf club, the ball, and the tee: what, where, and how all have an influence on the result.

Game for Living

This should have at least provided some basic ideas to get started on the golf course. The sport is so much more than just hitting balls into a long distance hole, the sheer growth that goes into creating a great golfer is influenced in general by past actions, as well as inspiring in general for future actions.

To take time to learn this game of golf, which some have termed as a ‘game of life’.

For info improving the great game of golf see the other articles within this site. Club Direct is recommended to contact for insurance on your golf trips.

While the definitive history of golf has yet to be uncovered, the game has existed in one form or another since at least medieval times, when games were played with balls and clubs. The game itself grew out of a ball and club game on the fjord of the Firth of Forth in Scotland.

According to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, the game of golf was invented in Scotland. While ball and club games were played in other places, like the Netherlands and China, among others, the golf game we recognize today with 18 holes almost surely originated in Scotland. In fact, there is 1457 documentation of the existence of golf in the form of an Act of Scottish Parliament wherein James II of Scotland banned the playing of “gowf” and football because they were distracting soldiers from practicing archery, which was needed for military tactics.

Golf was banned in Parliamentary Acts of 1471 and 1491 because golf was deemed unprofitable, and Mary Queen of Scots was frowned upon for playing golf right after the murder of her husband in 1567. Golf was not considered a suitable pastime for women at that time, so it was scandalous that she played at all, but particularly scandalous that she would play after the murder of her husband. Since one conspiracy theory speculates that Mary herself was responsible for her husband’s (who was also her first cousin) death, it may not be surprising that she was nonplussed enough to play a round of golf.

Later, James VI of Scotland would ban golf, but was given balls and clubs on three different occasions by people trying to convince him that the game was fun. James eventually became king of England, and it is thought that his son and attendants played at Blackheath in London.

A lawyer, Sir John Foulis, has ledgers that record games of golf played at Musselburgh Links in 1672 – the same course where Mary Queen of Scots supposedly played in 1567, and the oldest golf course in the world.

Thomas Kincaid, medical student and avid golfer, was the first to write instructions for playing the game. He played Brutsfield Links and Leith Links, and in his notes we find the first mention of a handicap system, and descriptions of his golf swing. This diary dates back to 1687. The oldest specific rules for the game were written for the Company of Gentleman Golfers in the year 1744. The club, which later became The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, played at Leith and the society still exists today. One group, called The Royal Burgess Golfing Society, claimed that they were formed in 1735, but the Edinburgh Golfers are generally known as the first group of golfers, who also established the rules.

Emigrants from Scotland to the British Colonies introduced the game of golf, and as early as 1779 there exist advertisements in the Royal Gazette of New York City for golf clubs and golf balls. Additionally, there is documentation of a golf club in Savannah, Georgia from a 1796 issue of the Georgia Gazette.

The 1850s saw a keen interest in Scotland emerge in Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who built a castle (Balmoral) in Scotland and were instrumental in the railway being built between Edinburgh and London. When this happened, tourism to Scotland increased greatly, and English people became interested in Scottish life and culture. Golf, of course, was a big part of that and this time period saw a spread of golf courses across the British Isles. By 1880 England had 12 golf courses, and by 1914 it had over 1000. Also by the 1880’s golf groups emerged in South Africa, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

Tracking back to 1868, the Meji restoration in Japan saw the country striving to become more modern, and Japanese people traveled to America and Europe to set up trade and learn about new business, science, and cultural trends. In turn, people from Europe and America traveled to Japan to help set up banks, schools, factories, and shipyards. By 1903, British people living in Japan developed their own golfing club in Kobe, and in 1913 Japanese natives founded the Tokyo Golf Club.

As golf maintains its popularity, so the industry grows. What used to be old, wooden clubs are now made from graphite and titanium. What used to be a wooden ball was then made of leather, and then balls were made from dried sap. Today golf balls are made from urethane blends or surlyn, and are designed to be as aerodynamic as possible. You can even choose the type of ball you want, depending on your golfing style. It’s safe to say, golf will be popular for many years to come.

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As we all know too well, the world of sport, motorsport and celebrity is one that revolves completely around money. People, CEOs and famous athletes will do anything to succeed in their respective position – and do even more to secure lucrative sponsorship deals. The aforementioned agreements are usually worth millions to the figure and can boost the popularity of a brand overnight. But what happens when it all goes wrong? When the sponsorship deals goes sour? Let’s have a gander.

Tiger Woods

Mr Tiger Woods – that’s not his real name either, Google that! – is, or was, one of the most respected athletes of our time. He completely revolutionised the game of golf when he came on the scene in 1997 and, for well over a decade, dominated the sport with his incredible shot-making and will to win. One problem, though, the guy liked his women, and a that love of the opposite sex came back to haunt him when a series of unfortunate events lead to the media finding out Woods had been cheating on his wife for years with quite a lot of women.

The news shook the world, disappointed millions of fans and surprised even Woods’ closest friends, but one thing that Woods lost more than his dignity was his appeal to the big sponsors. Tiger was signed up to everything: Nike, Gillette, AT&T, Gatorade, the Moon, Jesus, you get the idea. But when the news broke, his multi-million dollar partnerships looked very rocky. He single-handedly tarnished the reputation of the aforementioned companies – and, rather surprisingly, the companies weren’t very happy. Especially AT&T, who are a bit like O2 in Britain, as they invested hugely in utilising Woods’ high-profile image to sell their mobile phones.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant isn’t really that well-known to us Brits, but in America he’s one of the most famous basketball players ever – think Michael Jordan but not as good. So when charges of sexual assault were thrust upon Kobe back in 2003, the Yanks gasped and the basketball-playing children of America instantly lost a hero. Kobe managed to get the charges dismissed, but his big-time endorsement partners were about as interested as the general public is with a political speech.

His contracts with McDonalds, Sprite and Nutella all vanished, losing Kobe $6 million a year just like that. He has since kept his public figure quite low-key and continued to play ball for the L.A. Lakers, but his trail in 2003 was enough to tarnish his image forever.

The F1-cigarette deal

For decades Formula One cars were lavished with the branding of major cigarette companies. Ferrari had one of the most successful deals with Marlboro, as they have been in agreement with each other since 1984. But when the EU banned cigarette companies from advertising on the actual cars in 2007, there was up-roar, as they felt like why should they change the habit of a lifestyle?

But while the advertising on the cars may be banned, the sponsorship deals aren’t. Marlboro still sponsors Ferrari and has recently just extended their partnership until 2015. So while this deal may have gone a little sour for the entire F1 community in 2007, the money is still there burning away like the embers of a cigarette.

McLaren and Libya

Can a sponsorship deal really fail before it’s even begun? Well, with the McLaren/Libya deal, there is certainly a case for it. McLaren were in talks with the Libyan Tourist Board – before all the uprising began – to place a ‘Visit Libya’ livery on McLaren’s F1 cars.

Obviously, we all know what’s happening to Libya in recent times and McLaren has since insisted no deal will ever be done, but what makes the story more interesting is that the man who was instrumental in the deal has been accused of dealing with Saif Gaddafi – aka, the son of Colonel Gaddafi.

Alex Waters, the aforementioned, has since denied the allegations, but as Saif Gaddafi has been killed in a Nato airstrike, it seems that will be the end of this story. Just imagine, though, if the deal had been agreed and then the whole Libya uprising began. McLaren would have looked mightily embarrassed.

This is a guest post on behalf of Netcars.com, the specialist used cars website.

It’s said that Rory McIlroy has the right “stuff” of character; both humbleness and confidence.

There are high hopes and great expectations from Padraig Harrington and Greg Norman. One is that McIlroy just might beat Jack Nicklaus’ who had 18 majors and the other is to be the replacement after the sad loss of Steve Ballesteros. In a dignified manner at the Masters, McIlroy handled his debacle on Sunday, showed his mettle while speaking publicly about Tiger Woods’ ebbing game and the humanitarian trip he took to Haiti; when all the while, he could have been preparing for the U.S. Open. Being there in Haiti gave him the dose of perspective that he felt he needed.

His awe-inspiring performance at the U.S. Open seems to be over-flowing with the assurance of many more majors ahead. With a flawless four days of golf, finishing Sunday afternoon at Congressional and shattering the Open’s record, McIlroy, is defying the logic in the toughest of tests in golf with a “2-under 69”.

What a wonderful glimpse the world was allowed, as this young man of 22 from Northern Ireland, fell into the proud arms of his father. Gerry McIlroy, who took on three jobs so that his son could aspire to this very moment, was truly delighted and much more than he imagined it to be. “Happy Fathers Day, Dad”, said McIlroy. Both his parents have been behind him and at an early age had a putting green; good in all weather, installed in their back garden in the outskirts of Belfast in Hollywood.

Over the weekend in Northern Ireland fans watched Graeme McDowell trace his steps back over the bridge towards the champion and hug him. McIlroy truly feels that nothing this kid does ever surprises him and that he’s the best player he has ever seen. McDowell, as well as everyone else thinks that Rory McIlroy is a breath of fresh air and possibly the next superstar of golf.

Not since 1897 has there been such a streak of players in their 20’s winning a major, and this well grounded young man from ‘the old country’ moves into No.4 across the world, beyond anyone else competing in the final two of this year. To the grand stage of sports McIlroy has arrived, and the expectations we all hope, will not be overwhelming for this young man who is very new to all this; and that he continues to play, and to make sure that he does not take himself too seriously.

In a game where no one lately was standing out, McIlroy is filling a noteworthy void; one in which carries an engaging attitude and strong personal attributes. Something that sorely is missing in many of today’s ‘super stars.’ Most seem lack inner strength and fortitude and fall apart because celebrity has become like a god to them. They lose respect for themselves and others. Rory McIlroy, please don’t change.

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When you are participating in track and field events you need to have everything under control if things are going to end well. In this post we are going to tell you about 5 essential tips for dealing with this.

There are so many different types of shoes for track and field out there. Note that there are subtle differences between track shoes for women and men. At times, picking the right shoes can be very overwhelming. Talk to any friends that you know have a decent amount of knowledge about track and field shoes, talk to your coach or look up on reviews on the Internet. Overview articles such as track and field shoes are great and provide a lot of value.

2. Choose the Right Foods

Especially in short term and periods prior the events. You don’t want to fill up with sugary things, whether it’s food or soda. You should fill up on a lot of water before the race, but be careful to stop at least 30 minutes before. Eating some slices of bread, a bagel or something similar in the morning is sufficient.

3. Relaxing

Move your different body parts and move around in the warm-up area. Try to get rid of negative thoughts that pop into your mind. These are never doing anything good. Take deep breaths and try to chill out.

4. Energy Management

Very often, athletes exert themselves too much in the first half of the race. This will lead to them under-performing in the latter half and the overall performance drops. To get this balance just right is extremely difficult and a big part of what makes a track and field athlete successful.

5. Review the Event

After you have finished your event and taken a break you would want to write down things that went great. Focusing on negative things should be avoided, as these will only create negative thought patterns and might actually decrease performance. If you notice you have a couple of negative sticking points, and if they are in your control, try to change them.

Not many American based companies can honestly compare their successes and hold merit with Nike, Inc. Founded in the 1970’s by Phil Knight, this Pacific Northwest company has sold anything and everything that is related to sports. If there is some minute connection to sports, Nike will find a way to slap their emblematic logo on it and sale a bunch of it. I am going to attempt to give a very brief rundown of many of the products that Nike makes available to their consumers.

Let’s start with their running shoes. These have been the bell cow of their company for the entirety of the Nike life span. They’ve seen high tops and Air Jordans come and go. Today, the Nike Shox brand is one of their best sellers. These shoes were designed for just runners originally, but have since branched to most of the other major sports. They are durable and lightweight making them an ideal fit for experienced runners. You can buy Nike Shox online or find them in pretty much an sporting goods store.

Nike t shirts have also always been a very popular item. Their popularity really has soared in the last decade or so when athletes like Tiger Woods and Pete Sampras began sporting their apparel during competition. For the quality and durability of their tees and polos, the price tag of under $30 is very reasonable.

Nike sells backpacks, golf clubs, tennis rackets, and basketballs. They sell socks and even underwear. It has to be their internationally known logo that has helped give their products a serious level of cool and helped them sale like hot cakes. You can purchase all of these Nike goods mentioned and more at their website. For even better prices, check out sites such as Amazon and Overstock for great deals and discounts.